Individual fresh flower earring



May 12, 1959 F. WESSNER INDIVIDUAL FRESH FLOWER EARRING Filed Feb. 25, 1957 INVENTOR.

FRANCES WESSNER BY ATTORNI EY United States Patent INDIVIDUAL FRESH FLOWER EARRING Frances Wessner, Santa Rosa, Calif. Application February 25, 1957, Serial No. 642,151

1 Claim. (Cl. 24--6) My present invention principally relates to earrings and more particularly to pieces of jewelry in which the primary object is the use of fresh flowers.

The principal object is a decorative jewelry piece such as an earring to which a calyx of a flower may be quickly and easily attached.

Other objects such as the use of hair pins, stick pins or other attaching means may be utilized for more extensive use.

Other objects confined more in detail to the calyx attaching means will be more apparent as the description of the invention progresses.

In the drawing illustrating my invention;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the earring with a flower attached;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a double spiral spring together with a base member to which said spring is attached as viewed from the right side with the flower and its calyx removed;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the double spiral spring member removed from the base member of the earring;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the base member and a portion of the spiral spring showing its use with a hair pin, and

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the device when used as a stick pin.

Any form of attaching means similar to the earring shown in Fig. 1, which might include clasp or clamps may be used in place of the base member 10, which is a simple disk, as the disk and other parts of the clamp 11, are merely illustrative as a base member.

The important portion of the invention lies in the double wire-formed spirals 13, 14 shown in Fig. 3, the length of wire having a flat central portion 12, which is soldered or otherwise fixed to the disk or other base 10.

At opposite sides of the central portion 12, the wire is twisted in the same direction to provide the inner spiral 13 and the outer spiral 14 as is best shown in Fig. 2, the spirals making substantially one turn each.

The spirals 13 and 14 are open and the spiral 13 is smaller in diameter than spiral 14; and the free ends of the spirals are preferably pointed as indicated at 13a, 14a, respectively. The wire is of a spring type corresponding to piano wire.

When the relative diameters of the flower calyx 15 and spring spirals 13, 14 is as shown in the drawing, and the calyx 15 is pressed toward base 10 and twisted in a direction contra to the direction of curve of spirals 13, 14, the free end 13a of the spiral 13 pierces the inner end of said calyx 15 of the flower 16 inwardly of one side and works longitudinally into the calyx after the fashion of a corkscrew. While this is happening, the free end 14a of the outer spiral 14 is gliding about the turning calyx 15 as the latter is drawn toward the base 10 by the combined action of the spirals 13, 14. Thus, the exterior spiral l4 draws around the calyx 15 in a hugging manner which is opposed to the action of the inner spiral 13 of the wire and with the end result that the calyx 15 2,885,753 Patented May 12, 1959 is firmly drawn against the base 10 and retained in assembly therewith. However, if the calyx 15 of flower 16 is larger than herein shown, with the spirals 13, 14 dimensioned as illustrated, it will be apparent that when the calyx is pressed toward the base and twisted in a direction contra to the direction of curvature of spirals 13, 14, a somewhat difierent mounting of calyx on base 10 will be elfected. Thus, in the situation indicated, both of the ends 13a, 14a of the respective spirals will enter the calyx 15 of flower 16 and a better flower to base connection will be eifected.

An important feature to be noted is that the free ends 13a, 14a of spirals 13 and 14 are located in substantially the same plane and are also substantially diametrically opposed to one another. Thus, the spirals 13, 14 come into calyx-retaining action at the same time to eflect proper centering of the calyx with respect to base 10 while preventing objectionable sideward tilting of same.

It will be noted that the operator merely presses the calyx of the flower against the spirals 13 and 14 of the spring member and makes approximately one turnof the flower 16 and the calyx 15 to firmly mount the flower on the base member 10. The base member 10 may be of any type or size desired such as in Figs. 4 and 5 and may be applied to an ear bob clamp 11 as in Fig. 1, or to a hair pin 17 (Fig. 4) or stick pin 18 as in Fig. 5.

It is to be noted that the base 10 provides a backing for the smaller spiral 13 and a partial backing for the larger spiral 14 so as to sustain adjacent convolution portions if and when pressed thereagainst.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new is:

In an individual fresh flower holder or mount as an item of personal wear and comprising a base member having means for attachment to the wearer, said base member having an outer face, a flower calyx-securing member of stiff wire-like material having a mounting portion intermediate its ends, means securing said mounting portion to the base member, the portions of said wirelike material at opposite ends of said mounting portion being curved in the same direction and outwardly away from the outer face of said base member to provide a first spiral and a substantially concentric but diametrically smaller second spiral, both of said spirals having minimum diameters adjacent said base member, the lengths of said spirals at least closely approximating a full circle, the free ends of said spirals being located in approximately the same plane and also being approximately diametrically opposed to one another whereby to provide for simultaneous flower calyx engaging action, said spirals cooperating to provide a centrally open seat against which the end of a flower calyx can be pressed, at least the second spiral being of a maximum diameter less than that of the smallest flower calyx that would be applied to said spiral defined securing member so that at least the free end of the second spiral will enter the calyx when the latter is pressed thereagainst and turned in a direction contra to the direction of curvature of said spirals, whereby the flower calyx will be drawn toward the outer face of said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 179,090 Barnes June 27, 1876 547,181 Park Oct. 1, 1895 574,288 Timmons Dec. 29, 1896 1,085,956 Weber Feb. 3, 1914 2,033,039 Limpert Mar. 3, 1936 2,132,856 Kuhlman Oct. 11, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 684,769 France Mar. 24, 1930 

